Why I Chose To Homeschool With BookShark Curriculum: A Review

2020 threw a curveball in our schooling plans, which had us going on our biggest adventure yet, homeschooling. After scouring the internet, we decided to homeschool with the BookShark Curriculum. We couldn’t have been happier with our decision. We have partnered with BookShark to give you an honest review of why we chose the BookShark Curriculum and what you can expect during your adventures in homeschooling.

What Is BookShark

BookShark is a complete, literature-based homeschool curriculum developed for students from pre-k through high school. It is a secular/faith-neutral curriculum. Since our daughter has always been an avid reader we felt this idealogy of learning would work in her favor.

The BookShark curriculum goes beyond textbooks by utilizing hands-on-experiments, field trips, illustrations, and more. Since the program is literature-based, both my daughter and I have enjoyed countless hours of spending time together reading and discussing the content. It is a quality time that I have been cherishing, as I know it will be over in the blink of an eye.

The Pre-K All Subject Level combines proprietary History, Science, and Language Arts program with a range of math options. BookShark has everything you need for an entire school year of 36 weeks.

BookShark uses levels based on age ranges instead of a grade system. This allows parents to choose a homeschool curriculum that will best match your child. Every child learns at a different pace, therefore finding the level best suited for your child will help them bloom. Curious to see what level your child would be at? Head over to BookShark to find out!

BookShark Pre-K All Subject Curriculum

After deciding to homeschool our daughter through preschool we opted for the Pre-K All Subject Curriculum. It has an age range from 4-5 years old and is ideal for children who would be entering preschool. In my personal option, BookShark also is a great supplementary program to put in place for those who are sending their kids to preschool two to three times a week.

Overview of Pre-K “Exploring The World” All Subject Curriculum

The program is designed for 30-60 minutes a day, 4 days per week with options to modify as needed. The following subjects will be covered: Geography and Culture, Read-Alouds, Science, Language Arts, Math and Readiness Skills. Keep in mind that handwriting is not taught in this particular curriculum as it taught in Kindergarten. However, if your child shows an interest they do offer the program, Handwriting Without Tears: Get Set For School.

Why I Choose The BookShark Curriculum

As much as I pride myself on my creativity and ability to scour Pinterest for lesson plans, the reality is I am not a teacher. Before BookShark I was winging it day to day, trying to find something that would stick. It was stressful, I felt like a failure which ultimately led to days where nothing got accomplished.

Insert BookShark. Not only are all the materials I need for my daughter to succeed now within my own home, but there is a step-by-step instruction guide. Every day is planned out for the entire 36 weeks of the school year. The instructor’s guide gives a weekly overview, then dives into each day with what exactly should be covered. It gives questions to consider, words to highlight, and activities to implement. Gone are the nights of frustration trying to find a new lesson for the day or worrying I am missing an important topic.

They Catch On Quick

Another huge perk of BookShark is that it pushed me to realize that my daughter is capable of learning things I didn’t think she was ready for. Indeed, a four-year-old can identify all 7 continents. Along with landmarks, countries, and languages. Every day she impresses me with her skills in her workbook. From following instructions to coloring inside the lines it has been a delight to see her flourish.

Literature-based schooling is constantly widening my daughter’s vocabulary. It is little things that I had never thought to mention. Such as describing a mouse as a rodent. Suddenly all mice are rodents. Read-Alouds are such an important part of this curriculum as it teaches them oral language skills, sequencing, and cause and effect, along with creating a lifelong love of reading. Even the U.S. Department of Education says, “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.”

Tips For Implementing BookShark Pre-K All Subject Curriculum

Go At Your Own Pace

One of the best tips I can give is to go at your child’s pace. It is easy to get caught up in checking each lesson off the plan. Each day is on average an hour of lessons. Break that up with playtime, going outside, or creative time. I found it works best when I give my daughter time in between each lesson. There are times when she will even want to repeat the lesson, which fills me with pride.

Take BookShark On The Road

Homeschool doesn’t mean that school has to take place in the home. On the contrary, it can take place anywhere! Use that snazzy BookShark tote, pack up the supplies you will need before venturing to a park, a museum or even a road trip! Yup, homeschool can happen on vacation. One of our favorite things is to pack a picnic and enjoy doing schoolwork under a tree.

Read The Materials Beforehand

BookShark does a tremendous job at giving you a guide to the what to cover day-to-day. Ensure to read the materials before you read them to your child. It will help you prepare for any questions that your child might ask outside of the normal. A perfect example is one of the stories discusses death of a pet. After reading the story my daughter was full of questions related to death. It was wonderful that she was so inquisitive but I was grateful I had prepared ahead of time on how to handle certain questions if they arose.

Plan A Few Of Your Own Activities

Now that I have a lesson plan in front of me, I can choose to dive deeper into certain subjects or stories by implementing fun crafts, games or activities. BookShark will have a few activities to do, however my daughter loves her crafts so I can tailor the program to align with her interests. Since I am no longer looking for curriculums, it is easy to come up a few extra activities. By coming up with fun relatable crafts her imagination goes wild as she relates it to the story and then will start to come up with her own stories!

BookShark has been an incredible blessing while tackling homeschool for the first time. Our daughter is excelling with the curriculum and now has a structure in her schooling. The books that come with the curriculum are books we will be reading over and over for years to come. We highly recommend giving BookShark a try for your homeschooling curriculum.

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